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Monday, June 17, 2013

Endings and New Beginnings

This has been quite a month. Kate graduated from high school last week, and Charlie graduated from college over the weekend. I'm all cried out.

Watching my son walk across the stage to receive his college diploma was one of the most wonderful and moving experiences of my life. Yes, of my entire life. Watching the child I potty trained, taught to ride a bike, and (not always) gently guided to this day of commencement, was absolutely overwhelming. All I could think of was that back in elementary school, he could hardly stay in his seat long enough to finish an assignment. Now here he was, having successfully completed all of his schoolwork. Time passes so quickly.

Being a parent doesn't come with an instruction manual, and being a good parent isn't always easy. In fact, I don't think it's ever easy. I think the hardest part of being a parent is that you actually have to be a parent. You have to say no (often),and you have to live with knowledge that your kid might not always like you very much.Sometimes being a parent feels like the loneliest profession in the world. It would be so much easier to be a friend and not a parent. But then you have a day like we had on Saturday, and you see, right in front of you, why you did it, and why it was worth all the sacrifice and sleepless nights. You see why often it was the right thing to be the meanest mother in the entire world.

I'm not going to pretend that Charlie is fully cooked, even though he's about to embark on the adult portion of his life. He still has a lot to learn, and hopefully he will be open to at least listening to what we have to say as he navigates these next few years.

As sad as it was for Charlie to say goodbye to Carleton College, his future is so bright. He is blessed with a good head on his shoulders, and an inquisitive and thoughtful brain in his head. He is ready to face the challenges of the real world andI am excited to watch him develop.

Congratulations, Charlie. Dad and I couldn't be more proud of you.

Okay, you're right. This is a cooking blog. We'll be back to the recipes next time. Thanks for humoring me.